Bodhgaya Surrounds Mahakala Cave, Cremation site, Sujata places and the Austerities meditation site

Bodhagaya has several Holy places in the near vicinity. Before the Prince Shakyamuni obtained Enlightenment, he studied with some teachers in Rajgir then travelled with 5 other Ascetic practitioners to the Gaya area to practice. For six years he followed a strict ascetic regime but realising it was not a fruitful path abandoned that path and accepted a meal (Kheer) from Sujata. Many point to the Dungeshwari (Hindu Goddess) caves as the site of this period of meditation. Particularly because the caves are also know as the Pragbodhi (before Enlightenment) caves. However, Asvagosha says, in his Life of the Buddha, that the six years were spent on the banks of the Niranjana (most likely where the site of the austerities/meditation pit is said to be). The Tibetans refer to the cave as the Mahakala cave because the Mahasiddha Shavaripa, who was a student of Nagajuna and a lineage lama of the Mahamudra tradition, meditated there and obtained a vision of Mahakala.
The two larger caves have been built into temples. The small cave contains a statue of the starving Buddha (recent) and a statues of Mahakala and Dungeshwari. There is a traditional story about the tree just outside the cave (springing from the stick of the yogi - check this) and the big black rock (an emanation supposedly marked with self appearing mantra).
At the base of the mountain is one of the ancient cremation sites mentioned in the tales of the Mahasiddhas and potentially the place where the Buddha took the yellow cloth off a female corpse to use as clothing when he gave up his austere practice.
Closer to Bodhgaya is a large stupa marking the site of Sujata's village (some say this is the site of the Banyan tree where the Prince Shakyamuni meditated in-between ending the austerities and going to sit under the Bodhi tree). This stupa was originally the height of the Bodhgaya stupa but at some point the stone was used to build the village. A few hundred meters away is the site where Sujata gave the sweet rice milk to the Buddha. The Holy sites are particularly marked by Bodhi trees planted by King Ashoka. Since that time, pilgrims have built commemorative temples and even pits (to show how the Buddha meditated with his ascetic friends) but he Bodhi trees are the best indicator of the places.

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Namaste 🙏 (from a local boy of bodhgaya)
What you learn after coming to bodhgaya or what you think about our mixed culture, where many religions live together .

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Bodhgaya is truly one of the special places in this world.

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Thank you for this video!

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We hope you found it interesting. Especially if you haven't been there (yet).